The International Olympic Committee has established regulations for Russian and Belarusian athletes when they compete, but they aren’t enough for Ukrainian boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko.
Athletes from Russia or Belarus must compete under a neutral status and have no military links, and anyone who has shown support for the invasion of Ukraine is not permitted to compete.
But Klitschko, the brother of Kviv’s mayor, former boxer Vitali Klitschko, took to Twitter to rip the IOC for allowing Ukrainian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the fist place.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Wladimir Klitschko speaks to journalists during an interview at the Mercedes-Benz building prior to the Laureus World Sports Awards Feb. 17, 2020, in Berlin, Germany. (Boris Streubel/Getty Images for Laureus)
“The IOC authorizes the russian and belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games under ‘neutral flag’. This decision is a false flag…” he tweeted Tuesday. “This decision contaminates the Olympic spirit and is like this war: a nonsense.”
The official page of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine tweeted, “The white flag of the russian Olympic team is dripping with the blood of innocent Ukrainian civilians,” a post that 1996 Olympic gold medalist retweeted.
Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir Klitschko during the Champions Dinner on the 70th anniversary of the Bund Deutscher Berufsboxer (German boxer association) at Alfons Schubeck’s Suedtiroler Stuben April 5, 2019, in Munich, Germany. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
EUROPEAN BOXING CHAMPION, 22, KILLED WHILE DEFENDING UKRAINE IN WAR: OFFICIAL
In February, Klitschko recorded a video pleading with IOC President Thomas Bach to prohibit athletes from those countries from competing, saying it would “portray the Olympic spirit” if he did so.
Russian athletes were banned from play in last year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Wladimir Klitschko, left, of Ukraine and Bryant Jennings of the U.S. exchange punches during their world heavyweight championship fight April 25, 2015, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Klitschko went 64-5 in his illustrious career, winning 53 of his fights via knockout.
